


Marital Embrace

by britishmenaredestroyingmylife



Category: Return to Cranford
Genre: Erotica, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Loss of Virginity, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Victorian, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 08:51:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2575484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/britishmenaredestroyingmylife/pseuds/britishmenaredestroyingmylife





	Marital Embrace

He ran his hands through his mop of curly hair nervously. They were finally alone - or would be, as soon as he entered the bedroom of the cottage they had rented, miles away from the family and friends who’d attended the wedding ceremony. It already seemed ages ago, and yet it was only this morning that they’d said their vows at the front of the church. She’d looked absolutely radiant in her dress and veil, and as he’d stood there he had silently thanked God, repeatedly, for blessing him with such a jewel for a wife.

Now, he found himself praying again, for the strength and tenderness to take care of his new bride - in their new life together, certainly, but also in this, their first night together as husband and wife. His knowledge of the marital embrace was limited to what he’d learned from books and bawdy barroom jokes; he’d always refrained, even on occasions when his friends had mocked and bullied him. They would visit brothels and, although always tempted, he would remain in the main room, making casual small talk with the unoccupied girls while his friends had their fun.

She would be nervous, certainly. It would be his job to make it as painless as possible for her. Some of his friends had said there were ways to make the woman enjoy it, even - but he honestly wasn’t sure if that was true, or if they’d just been taken in by the skillful acting of experienced whores. The books were unclear on the subject, a frustrating mess of conflicting advice. In any event, if it was at all possible to make the marital embrace pleasurable for her, he was determined to do so.

He steeled himself and opened the door. The room was bathed in the soft, rosy glow of twilight. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, a long, white nightgown covering her pale body, her hair in a loose braid down her back. He took a shuddering breath as his eyes traveled over her form, up to her face - scrubbed clean, cheeks flushed, an expression of mixed excitement and anxiety shining in her eyes as she managed a smile.

“William,” she murmured.

“Peggy,” he replied.

There was a moment of silence between them; then, he closed the door, walked over to her, and seated himself next to her. He took her hand and kissed it, gently, before kissing each of her fingers in turn. He could feel her shaking ever so slightly and he encircled an arm around her waist as he kissed her cheek.

“Sweet Peggy,” he murmured. His own hands trembled, too, as he fingered the lace at the edge of her collar. “Mrs. Buxton. You look lovely.”

“Thank you, William…”

“May I… ?”

She swallowed, hard, and nodded. “Let me just… could we get under the blanket first?”

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Of course, darling.”

They both stood up so she could slide the coverlet back; his breath hitched as she bent over and he could just make out the sight of her naked flesh beneath the thin fabric. She quickly climbed into bed and he followed, aware that his manhood was already stirring beneath his breeches at the thought of their union. She lay on her back, her chest heaving.

“Could you… that is…”

“What is it, dearest?” he asked tenderly.

“I am not… that is to say, I am sorry. I don’t know how to speak of such things without being improper.”

He once again took her hand and kissed it, more forcefully this time. “You need not hold your tongue around me. I wish you would share your feelings freely. I have promised to love you for eternity, and you have nothing to fear for speaking your mind.”

She closed her eyes and he felt her fingers tighten around his. “I desire you,” she whispered. “I don’t claim to fully understand what will happen tonight, but I trust you and I love you. I only ask that you be patient and gentle with me.”

He kissed her on the lips, fiercely. “Peggy, I am your devoted servant. Only say the word and I will do whatever you please.”

She kissed him back and he felt the fire ignite within his chest, the overwhelming combination of gratitude and passion and longing threatening to consume him completely. He lay on his side next to her and slowly started to unbutton her nightgown, his eyes lustily devouring every fresh inch of pale, exposed flesh. He reached the buttons that strained ever so slightly over the swell of her breasts; he pushed back the fabric and she gave a gasp as he brushed his callused hands against a swollen nipple. He continued, his fingers moving a bit faster now as her body was revealed to him in all its glory.

He glanced up at her face and realized her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips drawn together tightly.

“Peggy,” he breathed.

“William, I… I’m sorry, I…”

“Please open your eyes.”

She obeyed and glanced down at him. “Am I… am I pleasing to you?”

“You are beautiful, my love. Please… could you sit up?”

She pushed herself up and instinctively tried to cover herself, but he clasped her hand to stop her.

He kissed her sweetly. “No. Please. I would like to see you…”

She nodded, but he saw a single tear run down her reddened cheek.

“Peggy, I mean you no harm.”

“I know you would never willfully hurt me, William,” she responded. “But… I have heard… my mother said that it is not…”

“Let me try,” he pleaded. “I am not saying it will not be… uncomfortable… but I have… well, I believe it could be…” He desperately searched for the right words as he caressed her cheek. “I will do everything within my power to make you feel the same happiness and pleasure that I do, my love,” he finished. He was frustrated with himself - why was it so difficult to discuss this? Why had he not been told the truth of how vulnerable they would be, how powerful this experience of sharing their bodies? How would he ever know how to soothe her, to make her realize how firmly he had vowed to help her find pleasure in this, even if it was only the pleasure of possible motherhood as some of the books had said?

On impulse, he reached behind her and loosed the ribbon that held her braid in place. He stroked her hair so that it hung freely around her shoulders and buried his face in it, inhaling her scent deeply. Finally he pushed the nightgown back, off her shoulders, so that she was bare before him.

“Would you… would you undress me, Peggy?” he asked softly.

She looked at him, uncertain, before nodding. “Of course… husband.” Their eyes met and they shared a smile at the word.

“Thank you, wife.”

She untucked his shirt from his breeches and gently pulled it over his head, careful not to catch any of his unruly blond hair in the ties of the fabric. He watched as her eyes examined his nude torso, the soft patch of hair on his chest, the downy trail that led downward…

He took her hand in his, kissed it, and then guided her down to his breeches. The bulge at his groin was getting increasingly uncomfortable, and he kept his hand on her smaller one as she tremblingly unlaced the constricting garment. His body was more than ready, his willpower stretched to the breaking point by the time he was divested of his clothing, and he was nearly undone when he heard her little gasp at the sight of his erect manhood.

“What is… that is to say… I…”

He lay next to her and drew her close. “My darling Peggy, how much do you know of…” He scrambled again, then remembered that phrase. “… the marital embrace?”

She shook her head. “I don’t… my mother simply said that I should do whatever you asked… that I would likely find it unpleasant and uncomfortable but that it is a wifely duty…”

He flinched. “Expressing our love for each other should be much more than a duty… it is… a sacred union…” His words were failing him yet again.

“What must you do to me, William?” Peggy’s voice was heartrending and he thought his heart might burst.

“To speak of it may seem… improper,” he replied. “But the act itself is… that is… I shall lie on top of you…” He spoke haltingly, his face flushed crimson. “And you will spread your legs and allow me to… enter your… womanly flesh… with my…”

“Oh,” she whispered.

“And I have heard tell that it hurts the first time for the woman, but that the pain does subside… and I don’t know, Peggy. I myself have no experience of this, and although I have tried to learn as much as I could, it seems so few are willing to speak or write of it seriously that I have had little success.”

They lay in silence for a moment; then, to his shock, Peggy rolled to her side facing him and kissed him passionately. “William, my darling William, I trust you. Embrace me and take me as your wife, for I desire to be one with you for eternity.”

He smiled as he kissed her back, running his hands through her soft hair and chuckling softly. “My wife… ah, Peggy…”

He rolled on top of her, relishing the unfamiliar but comforting feel of naked flesh upon naked flesh, and continued kissing her. His hips seemed to be moving of their own accord, gently bucking forward and back as his erection pressed against her belly. He was acquainted with his physical triggers and limits - although inexperienced with others, he was experienced with self-pleasure - but this… this was so new and exciting, and the sight of her body yielding to him so arousing, that he worried he would spend before she could find some pleasure in the act.

“I want to feel your womanhood, Peggy…” he said softly as his fingers crept down her belly. She nodded, and as his hand continued its downward trek through a patch of soft hair, he suddenly found his fingers dipping into a warm crevice. He glanced down and saw the area spread by his fingers, and curiously pressed his thumb onto a small button of pink flesh that seemed to be peeking out.

Peggy let loose a sound he had never before heard a woman make - a toe-deep moan that he wasn’t sure signified pain or pleasure. He immediately eased off, and she gave a soft whine.

“Peggy?”

“William, oh… could you… could you do that again?” she said breathlessly.

“Was that pleasurable for you?”

She winced as she replied, “I… yes… I liked it… I hope you don’t think me… wanton…”

William was now excited beyond all measure. Perhaps his friends hadn’t been fooled, after all. “No! Never, my love, I want to pleasure  you… speak your mind as I… explore…”

He bought his thumb back down on that little button and she gasped as he circled it gently, experimenting with different pressures. He added his forefinger and gave it a soft pinch; her body bucked and the sounds she made, a combination of moans and whispered yeses, urged him onward. His own arousal was bordering on painful but he ignored it; he was mesmerized by her reactions, by the way she seemed to be losing herself in the pleasure she was receiving at his hands. His hands, his big, callused hands, the hands that looked harsh and clumsy compared to her own delicate ones, were doing this to her. Her self-consciousness seemed gone, and she was making sounds he had only ever heard occasionally coming from the back rooms of the brothels where his friends made merry…

Her fingers were grasping desperately at the bedsheets and he increased his pace, still gauging her reactions. Oh, God, those delicious noises coming from her lips! Suddenly he watched in awe as her body bowed off the bed, her entire frame wracked by some unseen force, fingers twitching, eyes fluttering, mouth dropped open in a silent scream. He immediately removed his fingers, suddenly uncertain if he had somehow injured her or harmed her, and he watched as her muscles slowly relaxed.

“Peggy! Are you all right?” he asked.

She was staring at the ceiling, her eyes glassy. “William… oh, William…”

“Speak, dearest. Were you in pain?”

She gave him a dreamy smile. “No… I… I… was in ecstasy.”

His smile was one of absolute joy. “Ecstasy?”

“I felt like I had left my body… for heaven… ah, William… it was wonderful.”

He impulsively kissed her collarbone, then down to her breasts. “You looked beautiful, my beloved… now if you will let me…”

“Yes, William… I am ready now… take me, please,” she whispered, her expression one of deep satisfaction and affection.

He took his manhood in hand and tentatively positioned it at her entrance. He pushed forward the slightest bit and was surprised to find that this part of her was wet and soft and tight, unlike any other part of her except perhaps her mouth. He moved forward slowly and he could hear her whimper as he felt himself breach her barrier; a wave of fresh warm liquid flooded her quim and he expelled a shuddering breath as he gave a final push forward, seating himself within her fully.

“Are you… all right… Peggy?” he gasped.

She was biting her lip. “Yes… I am… take your pleasure of me, William, for I am yours…”

He could hold back no longer. Her voice, her vulnerability, her complete surrender to him made him suddenly surge forward and back. Dear God! His hand was nothing compared to this, to this beautiful entangling, to their completion as one flesh. Her slick heat engulfed him, drowning him in pleasure he had never known, and he knew he would not last much longer… he was about to burst as he slid in and out of her, they had been made for each other, this was perfection and there was nothing else, nothing but her and their coupling…

He threw his head back as he thrust one last time and spent his seed deep within her, his body twitching in the throes of his passion. He shook with the effort not to collapse on top of her, trying to still his body as he felt himself begin to soften. He gently pulled out and lay next to her; as he pulled her close, he glanced down and, to his dismay, saw droplets of blood mixed with his essence slowly seeping out of her.

“Dearest Peggy, I am so sorry… I have hurt you,” he moaned softly.

“No, William… it only hurt for a moment. And I am yours now,” she replied. “I love you very much.”

“I love you too. Is there anything I can do for you?”

She smiled at him. “Hold me close while we sleep.”

He kissed her. “Always.”


End file.
